


Lovely

by jumpingjaxx13



Category: RobiHachi (Anime)
Genre: Getting Together, Illness, M/M, but not really, demisexual Hatchi, married, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 08:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumpingjaxx13/pseuds/jumpingjaxx13
Summary: Upon returning home, betrothal was one of the first topics brought up by Hatchi's family. There was only one problem: the prince was already married to earthling hero, Robby Yarge. Hatchi brings a down-on-his-luck Robby back to the moon with him to save his own hand and give his "husband" the life of his dreams. It should be that simple... right?
Relationships: Hatchi Kita/Robby Yarge
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	Lovely

_ Betrothal. _

Hatchi had only been home for a short while before the topic was brought up again. It wasn’t new in the slightest-- he had always known that he would be paired off with some wealthy gentlewoman and that he was going to have to at least pretend to like it-- but he hadn’t expected it to happen  _ so soon. _

In retrospect, it made sense. After the stunt he had pulled in his intergalactic runaway journey to Isekandar it was only logical that they would try and tie him down. While he was still too young to take the throne, after the passing of his nineteenth birthday, he was well of age to take a wife. If he were to be bound by marriage, or even  _ children _ , the chances of him taking off again were all but eliminated.  _ Smart _ . Unfortunate, yes, but smart. 

Almost immediately after the proposal was made, Hatchi was donned in his nicest clothing and brought to meet a number of women that were willing to take his hand. They were lovely-- the type that would have had Robby drooling and scrambling to get closer-- but the young prince found himself underwhelmed and unimpressed. As companions, they seemed perfectly fine, and they were as beautiful as could be, but there was no  _ connection _ ; nothing that really drew him to any of them beyond feelings of curiosity. None of them made his heart  _ pound _ . He wanted to talk to them, get to know them, and learn about who they were, but the thought of consummating any sort of union with them made him sick to his stomach. 

No matter how lovely they were, he couldn’t place himself at their sides. He  _ wouldn’t _ . It wouldn’t be fair to either of them to be trapped in a marriage in which any attraction was purely one-sided. 

He’d never understood what the big deal was about women, anyways.

In the middle of the event, he excused himself to get some fresh air, leaving the women to chatter amongst themselves as he took to the night. If he looked up, he could see the Earth hanging in the darkened sky, tempting and taunting him from afar. She was the home of the beginning of the greatest adventure he had ever had; the home of a friend he held close to his heart. 

_ Close to his heart _ . 

From his pocket, he pulled out a small crystal and gazed down at it fondly. It was the last thing that Robby had given him and the only souvenir he needed to keep close and hidden lest it be snatched away. No one was interested in the tacky old pajamas (which he still wore every night) or any other trinket he’d obtained, but if word got out of this gem, they may take it from him and try to fashion it into jewelry. As pretty as it might be, he much preferred the crystal in its raw form. 

Biting back a sigh, he closed his fist around the crystal and held it right over his heart. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of his heart  _ pounding _ in his chest, remembering the rush that came with every little step towards obtaining it. Every delicious new meal, every brilliant new experience, all of them shared with Robby. Everything they had done was so wild and unpredictable that simple reminisce was enough to pull his lips up in a small smile. Not long ago, they had been on the ride of his life, and now reality was coming back to bite him.

_ A ride.  _

Suddenly, Hatchi’s eyes snapped open, the grin on his face expanding.  _ That’s it! _ How could he have forgotten? At the time, he had tried not to think too much about it, but now their greatest accident could wind up saving him from a life of loveless misery.

He rushed back to the event with an excited, wild shine in his eyes. As expected, everyone’s attention locked on him as he entered. Straightening up his posture, he adjusted his cape slightly before bowing his head slightly. 

“It has been a pleasure meeting all of you. I hope you have had as lovely a time as I have,” he started, trying his hardest not to burst out in animated giggles. If there was a slight dash of silliness in his tone as he spoke with that grin, however, it wasn’t something he could help. “Unfortunately, it seems that there was a bit of a misunderstanding. You are all here to claim my hand, but it has already been claimed. My apologies.”

Gasps echoed throughout the room and it was everything Hatchi had not to laugh at the array of shocked faces. His father shot to his feet and his uncle gaped, the whole lot of them entirely bewildered. How was it meant to be anything but hilarious!?

“Prince Hatchi! What are you talking about?” the king demanded. “This had better not be some sort of joke…”

Hatchi put up his hands in a placating gesture and shook his head. “No, Your Majesty,” he insisted, offering a bow to try and ease him. “I simply remembered something that I had neglected to mention about my travels.”

At that, his uncle’s eyes widened. “You got  _ married _ during your travels?”

The more was revealed, the thicker the tension in the air and the more difficult it was not to crack up laughing. All of the guests they had invited for Hatchi to browse through served no purpose and now they were beginning to realize that. They likely suspected that he had taken a bride while he was away, which produced the image of Robby donned in traditional lunar women’s wedding garb. 

Hatchi was going to  _ explode _ . 

Swallowing thickly, he nodded. “I did. On the planet Akka Sakka,” he confirmed. “I rang the  _ Lovely Bell _ with someone, which is equivalent to a marriage in their culture. For all intents and purposes, I am married and have been for a while.” At certain points during their adventure, it had certainly felt like it…

Hatchi turned to the women still gawking in his direction. “As I said, I sincerely apologize for the miscommunication. I do not require any of your hands, though if any of you would like to be friends, you are more than welcome to keep in contact.”

For a moment, silence reigned before, slowly but surely, the women started taking their leave until the royals were the only ones left in the room. This was the exact  _ opposite  _ of how this was meant to go and he could already feel how much trouble he was in, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Not walking the straight and narrow was so much  _ fun _ and it only made sense to drag Robby into it as well. He was the one who taught him everything he knew about rebellion, after all. 

Once the room was empty, the king turned on his son. “Prince Hatchi, just what  _ was _ that?” he hissed, face almost as red as the crystal Hatchi had tucked back into his pocket. “What do you  _ mean _ you’re already married? Who did you marry?”

“It was an accident,” he explained, though the smile had finally started to fade from his face. Now that he wasn’t being stared at by a bunch of people mimicking fishes with their open mouths, the situation had lost some of its humor. He still didn’t know what was going to happen to him or what consequences to expect, so the thrill was not gone entirely. Would his father scold him? Congratulate him? Slap him for his insolence? Embrace him and ask to be introduced? At that point, he still didn’t know, and that made it all the more exciting. 

“Explain,” the king demanded.

Hatchi hesitated slightly before speaking again. “While I was traveling, the man I was with and I got into a handful of… sticky situations,” he started. “One of them took us up to the bell on Akka Sakka and had us tripping on our feet. We both grabbed ahold of the _ Lovely Bell _ and pulled, and because it was their annual  _ Lovely Star Night _ , it was enough for the locals to call us wed.” He bowed his head respectfully to his king. “I am married to Robby Yarge by their customs, so I cannot marry another. That would be bigamy under  _ our _ customs.”

“Robby Yarge…” his uncle echoed, eyes widening in recognition. “That’s the man you saved the Earth with, is it not?”

Hatchi nodded. “He is.”

His uncle pursed his lips and turned toward the king. “I know these are not ideal circumstances, but this may not be as bad of an outcome as we thought,” he mused.

The king frowned. “Explain.”

“Both Robby Yarge and Prince Hatchi have been celebrated and honored as heroes for saving the Earth from imminent destruction. While he may not be of noble status, he is still someone of a high social standing. We could make this work.” 

Hatchi held his breath, that pounding in his chest returning full force as he stared down the two elder royals, waiting to hear his fate. If his father decided that this was unacceptable, he could easily nullify the foreign marriage and force his son to take the hand of a chosen woman. If his uncle’s words got through to him, however, it was possible that he could remain free. Perhaps he could even see Robby again. 

“My son, the Prince of the Moon, marrying an Earthling hero…” the king muttered, pondering the situation. He looked over his son carefully and crossed his arms. Hatchi’s stomach twisted. Could this really be the end of it..? No, he could run again if he needed to. He  _ wouldn’t _ marry one of those poor women. 

Ultimately deciding not to take that risk, Hatchi spoke up. “Father, I-”

“Very well.”

Hatchi blinked.  _ Very well? _ His father was...  _ accepting _ this arrangement? Without protest? It felt strange to have his father, who had always been so distant and more of an authority figure than an actual parent, actually side with him. It was enough to catch him off guard. “Very well..?”

The king nodded. “I can approve of this union between the hero and yourself under one condition,” he added, holding up one finger. “You must bring him back here. I want to meet him myself before I make any final decisions.”

_ Bring him back here _ . He wanted Hatchi to go back down to Earth, grab his unknowing husband, and bring him back to the moon to live as a royal. The thought of Robby trying to commit to all of the strict rules and regulations set up by the royal court would have been amusing if he hadn’t been so awestruck.

He was going to see Robby again, and that was wonderful. 

He was going to have to tell Robby the truth about what happened on Akka Sakka, and that was terrifying. 

Unable to think of a better option (and selfishly wanting to see his good friend again), Hatchi gratefully accepted. 

* * *

That landed him here, back on Earth and standing before a man crumpled up inside of a very familiar box. This time, instead of trying to blend in with the crowd, Hatchi boasted his royal regalia.  _ It’s to remind them of your status _ , his father had told him, but wearing his cape and crown about town still felt rather odd. Having all of those eyes on him made his heart race, but it didn’t start officially  _ pounding _ until he had him in his sights. 

How Robby wound up down on his luck  _ again _ was a mystery to him, but if he had to guess, it came down to financial irresponsibility once again. No matter. Once they were back on the moon, he would never have to worry about ruining himself again. As a royal suitor, there wasn’t much he really had to  _ do _ . 

Huh. It seemed that Robby would be wealthy while doing nothing after all. Go figure.

When he held out his hand, Hatchi made sure to have the crystal resting in his palm for his friend to see. Not only was it a reminder that their little misadventure had truly happened, but that there were plenty more to come. Even though Robby had no idea what to expect other than another journey, he took his hand and gripped it tightly in a way that made his stomach flip. 

_ Let’s do this. _

As he guided him back to the moon embassy, he soaked in the sound of his voice as he told stories of his conquests and great fall since their last meeting. It was just as he had suspected; Robby had partied just a little too hard and made some poor investment choices, which landed him right back at square one. Despite that being a tragedy, he had to fight the urge to giggle. That was just so  _ Robby _ ; chaotic in a way he could only ever predict from such an unpredictable person. 

“So, what’s this new journey you were talking about, anyways?” 

That question broke through the haze in Hatchi’s mind.  _ Right _ . Robby had no clue. All he had done was show up in his princely attire and invite him on a new adventure; an offer which was accepted without concern for what that new adventure may be. At least he could tell that he hadn’t run away again. What he was wearing was a bit too garish for someone trying to blend in. 

“Yeah, Hatchi. Why don’t you fill us in a bit on this whole thing?” Ikku agreed. He looked down at the little robot and internally cursed. The problem with trios was when two ganged up on the other, especially when they were unaware they were doing so. 

“Once we’re at the embassy,” he promised. “Then I’ll explain everything.”

It wasn’t a convincing answer and he knew it, but, really, what did Robby have to lose by following him? Besides, there was plenty more to gain by officially becoming his husband through lunar custom, namely in the form of wealth and security. Not to mention all of the lovely lunar women he could surround himself with. It would be Robby’s paradise. 

Hatchi was going to pointedly ignore how the thought of Robby flirting with women while they were meant to be married unsettled him. 

Once at the embassy, the guards greeted the lot of them with bows as they passed. It was something that Hatchi himself was more than accustomed to but his companions seemed to find amusing. A few sharp glares told them that the idea of bowing back  _ wasn’t funny at all. _ While he would normally be all for the kind of chaos that came from crossing lines, he wanted Robby to at least make a  _ decent _ first impression on his father. If this “marriage” was going to work out, then he needed the approval of the king above anyone else. 

After guiding them to his private room at the embassy, he shut the door behind them and let out a long sigh. After everything they had been through, why was this so hard? It should be simple:  _ Hey, remember when we rang that bell on Akka Sakka? Turns out that we’ve actually been married ever since and now I need you to be my husband so I don’t get hooked up with some random noblewoman.  _ Easy as could be. No high stakes there at all. It wasn’t as if both of their futures were on the line or anything. 

“Nice place you’ve got here,” Robby commented, looking around the room, “Guess you royals don’t half-ass anything, do you?” As much as Hatchi wanted to protest, there was no denying the elegance and opulence of the bedroom. It wasn’t of his own design, of course, but it was his room all the same. 

Taking a moment to think, Hatchi bit his lip before speaking up. “It could be your place, too. If you want.”

_ That _ got Robby’s attention. “I-- what? Run that by me again?” he said, holding a hand up to his ear to make sure he was hearing correctly.

Hatchi drew in a deep breath. “That’s what this journey is about,” he confessed before nodding towards the bed. “You might want to take a seat. It’s… a lot to explain.” Even that felt like an understatement. 

Cooperative for once in his life, Robby sat down on the edge of the bed, Ikku taking up a spot on the floor beside him. Hatchi stood before them stiffly, searching for the right words to use to not scare his friend away. Grabbing his husband and bringing him to the moon sounded much easier in his father’s voice… 

“Do you remember what happened between us on Akka Sakka?” he started, thinking it best to begin with some background. 

“Are you talking about when I had to pick you up from baby jail or when we pulled on that bell?” he asked, lips pursed slightly. “You know, you never did tell us what that was all about.”

Hatchi huffed out an awkward laugh. “Well, you can consider yourself informed now. You see, according to their customs, when the  _ Lovely Bell _ is pulled by two people on the annual  _ Lovely Star Night _ , it binds them together in eternal love.”

Robby paled and leaned forward slightly. “You’d better not be saying what I think you’re saying.”

“We are legally married on Akka Sakka, Robby,” he confirmed. “And since we recognize all foreign unions on the moon, that means that we are legally married by lunar custom as well.”

“ _ Ha! _ I  _ knew _ it!” Ikku chimed in. “You two were acting like a bickering married couple the entire time after that. I should’ve known something was up.”

“Did you  _ just _ figure this out?” Robby questioned, desperation starting to leak into his voice. It was as if he didn’t want to believe that something like that could be kept from him. “Like, you brought me here to divorce me, right? I don’t exactly have any assets you’d want. I’ve already given you the most priceless thing I have. I’m not gonna need to lawyer up, am I?”

Hatchi put a hand up to stop the rambling. “No! No, no lawyers needed. I don’t want anything you own. Don’t worry.”  _ As if there is anything you could give me in your state _ went unsaid. Truthfully, there  _ was _ something that Robby could give him, but he needed to approach it delicately. If he avoided answering whether he had known about these customs or not ahead of time, that was a personal decision.

Robby sighed in relief and flopped back onto the bed. “ _ Good _ . So, how about this divorce? How does it work? Is there some paperwork I have to sign or a ritual I have to perform..?”

“I didn’t bring you here to divorce you, Robby,” Hatchi corrected, feeling his heart start to climb up into his throat. He had no idea how his friend (husband?) was going to react to this proposal and it was equal parts nerve-wracking and exciting. “Actually, I wanted to ask you to stay with me.”

“Youwannaaskmetowha..?” Robby shot back up into a sitting position, eyes wide as he looked the young prince over. Not detecting an ounce of teasing or joking in his expression, he gawked for a moment. “You’re joking, right? You’ve gotta be joking,” he insisted otherwise.

Hatchi pursed his lips.”It’s not that I  _ want _ to be married to you, but it’s the best solution that either of us could ask for. Becoming the lunar prince consort once I’m crowned king will ensure that you’ll never be down on your luck again and I…” He trailed off, pink starting to dust his cheeks. 

“And you..?” Robby prompted.

Hatchi swallowed. “And I wouldn’t have my hand forced onto a strange noblewoman. We could both live the lives we want. All you would need to do is dress up and act like you love me in public and we’re both winners.”

“Hold up. Wait a minute.” Robby put a hand up to silence his friend. “You mean to tell me that you  _ don’t _ want to get engaged to some hot, rich lunarian babe? You’re kidding me, right?”

“I thought you would say that,” Hatchi sighed. “It’s not that simple. If I have to pick one person to spend the rest of my life with, I want it to be someone I trust and care for. I don’t know these women, but I do know what they’re after. They just want the throne and the power that comes with it. I doubt they give a damn about me at all.” He tacked on a shrug. “At least I know that you care in your own way.”

Robby blinked, clearly not having expected such a sentiment to be expressed in the middle of this conversation. He rubbed the back of his neck “Well, yeah, sure, but it’s not like I  _ love _ you or anything. No offense, but you’re a bit  _ masculine _ to be my type.”

_ It’s not like I  _ **_love_ ** _ you or anything.  _

For reasons that he couldn’t explain, hearing those words sent a shock of discomfort through his body. His stomach twisted up in knots and, for the briefest flash of a moment, he felt lightheaded. It wasn’t as if he had  _ expected _ Robby to love him, nor had he  _ wanted _ it, but to hear the words aloud did something to him physically that he couldn’t describe. 

He laughed it off. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever called me masculine,” he pointed out, trying to keep his humor up despite the tension in the air. It was almost suffocating; it was a miracle they were still breathing. 

“Don’t get used to it,” he warned, though there wasn’t any bite to his words. “What I’m saying is that, if I’m married to you, how am I supposed to run around and meet attractive women? The ring on my finger would be a  _ huge _ turn-off,  _ especially _ if they discovered I am married to royalty.”

“You can flirt with as many women as you want. It wouldn’t be fair of me to prevent you from doing that,” Hatchi replied. Hell, he couldn’t imagine Robby  _ not _ flirting with every girl he met. Like he’d said, they weren’t actually in love, so it wasn’t as if he would get jealous. “Just as long as you’re discrete about it. Royals cheat on one another all the time. Just don’t do it when the wrong people are watching or you’ll start a scandal.” 

Giving his friend, who was legally his husband, permission to flirt with women was strange, but what else could he do? He needed this union to remain intact, if only for the sake of his own hand. Maybe it was selfish of him to ask Robby to do this, but he would much rather spend his life with someone he already knew and trusted than some throne chaser. 

Robby’s brow raised. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” he asked, borderline bemused. “You actually want me to come with you to the moon and be your sugar baby, no strings attached?”

Hatchi blushed. “It sounds weird when you phrase it like that, but, yes. That’s essentially it. I think it would work out in both of our favors. Like I said, it would just be a title and a little performance now and then. Behind closed doors, everything can be normal.” Or as normal as things could be when he’d accidentally married his friend…

“I don’t know…” Robby muttered.

“If you want, you can think of it as a way of repaying me since there’s no way you’ll be able to do it on your own,” he suggested. It wasn’t a malicious reminder; it was simply the truth. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Robby to pay him back and had no intentions of holding him to it. It had been a gift, not a debt. Now, however, if he needed to pull some strings to get the right answer, he would do it.

Robby tensed. “H-Hey now. I said that I was going to pay you back.”

“I know,” Hatchi replied. “This way, you don’t have to worry about the money. We’d just be exchanging favors.”

“Debt is a lot different than marriage,” Robby pointed out. 

“Oh, would you just say yes already!?” Ikku interjected. For a being that wasn’t meant to feel frustration, he certainly seemed to experience it regularly. “It’s the best option you’ve got, Robby. Are you seriously telling me that you’re having trouble deciding between life on the street and life in a palace? Have you lost your  _ mind _ ?” 

For a moment, Robby was silent, contemplating Ikku’s words. “...When you put it like that, it sounds like a no-brainer,” he admitted, pursing his lips before sighing. “I guess getting stuck with you isn’t the worst thing that could happen to me. I’ll do it.”

_ I’ll do it. _ The confirmation was enough to have a beam stretching across his face. “You will?”

“Don’t look so excited about it,” he muttered in response before a small smirk took up residence on his lips. Robby offered his hand playfully. “Do I get a ring or what?”

“Yes,” Hatchi replied. “One will be fashioned for you by our jewelers upon your arrival. Don’t expect any diamonds; we mostly use anorthosite.” While not necessarily uncommon on the moon, it was difficult to find elsewhere and made for soft, subtle, aesthetically pleasing jewelry when treated correctly. 

Robby pursed his lips. “Is that valuable?”

“On Earth? With iridescence and no veins, absolutely,” Hatchi confirmed. “Fortunately, we have access to all of the best.”

“Alright. As long as it’s worth something.”

That comment definitely rubbed Hatchi the wrong way, but he ignored it. The guy was basically drowning in debt at all times. It made sense that monetary value was the first thing that came to his mind. The idea of turning in the crystal--  _ their _ crystal-- to have it fashioned into a ring instead was tempting, but… no. It meant far too much to him while raw and genuine to sacrifice. Traditional rings would have to work. 

“We need to get you fitted for proper robes, too,” Hatchi commented. “You’re bigger than me, so nothing I own will fit you. They’ll have to tailor your clothes from scratch. It has to be done before we leave. No offense, but I’m sure that my parents would have a conniption if you came in wearing that.” He gestured to the clothes that Robby was currently wearing, the colors all wrong and the fabric dirty from wear. No, he definitely couldn’t bring his husband home looking like that. It would ruin  _ everything _ before it even began. 

Robby hummed appreciatively. “Not bad. I’m sure I’ll look handsome as hell in these fancy clothes,” he mused. 

“I’m sure you will,” Hatchi replied before stepping away. “You stay here. I’ll go call the tailors. Once they’re done, we can go. There’s a lot you’re going to have to learn on the trip there, so I suggest you prepare yourself for that.”

“Aye-aye, Hatchi,” Robby said, throwing in a wink and teasing salute. 

Hatchi had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as he left his husband and Ikku alone in his room while he went to go track down the tailors. A small part of him feared that they might return to an empty room, but such a thought was ridiculous. Just like Ikku had said, Robby would be a fool not to agree to this. It gave them both the best possible futures. Everything would be fine. It had to be. 

* * *

Robby had been right; he  _ did _ look handsome in lunar royal garb. The pale garments contrasted nicely against his red hair and the deep royal blue made his eyes pop wonderfully. Adorned with gold accents, he looked like a treasure.

Hatchi was awestruck. He’d never seen Robby look like this before, all cleaned up and nicely dressed, and he looked…  _ good _ . Really good.  _ Dangerously _ good. He almost had to look away. 

Robby gave a little spin, the cape flowing gracefully with the movement. “I clean up pretty well, don’t I? What do you think? Am I moon prince material?”

“Yeah. It looks good.” Hatchi gave a small smile, tried not to stare, and offered his arm. “Come on, then. Let’s get going.”

Robby looked down at his offered arm and arched a brow. “You’re tripping if you think I’m going to hold your hand.”

“You’re not going to hold my hand. We are going to link arms,” Hatchi explained. “Consider this  _ Royal Lesson Number One. _ When in public together, a prince is meant to escort his wife. Since you and I are both men, we’re going to link up and escort one another. We’re only going from the building to the ship, but I thought it might be good practice.” He offered his arm a little more insistently. “Come on.”

Though he sighed and grumbled something under his breath, Robby did finally take his arm after insisting that his arm be “on top.” Hatchi allowed it, mostly because he wasn’t entirely certain what that  _ meant _ , but it kept his newly recognized husband happy. Once their arms were linked, he led him through the embassy out toward where the ship was waiting for them. As they walked, he muttered hints--  _ Keep your head up; Straighten your back; Walk at my pace _ \-- and he was overall pleased with how Robby responded. Maybe this first introduction wouldn’t be too disastrous after all. 

They walked past the guards, who gave them respectful bows as they entered the spacecraft. For reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom, they had trusted him to go down to Earth and retrieve his husband alone. Perhaps they considered his wanderlust satisfied and trusted that he wouldn’t run off again so soon. While he had no intentions of running off with Robby again, his thirst for the unpredictable had not been satiated. After such a strict life up to this point, he doubted that it ever would. Hopefully, being married to Robby would shake things up again.

Once it was confirmed that Prince Hatchi and the hero, Robby Yarge, had arrived on the ship, the hatch closed and the pilots headed back to the cockpit to take off and left the common area open. Releasing his hold on Robby’s arm, he took a seat on the couch . “Make yourself comfortable. It’s not a long trip, but we have a lot to talk about.”

Robby dropped down beside him with a groan, arms slinging up on the back of the couch. One hand rested behind Hatchi’s shoulder and he pointedly tried to ignore it. “What’s with all of these rules, anyways? I thought you didn’t like this kind of predictable, strict life.”

“I don’t, but it is important to keep up appearances,” he informed. “This kind of thing is only really important out in public or during important events. If the common folk are going to see us or if the occasion requires us to dress up like this, it’s important to follow the rules. Right now, my main concern is impressing my father and further securing his blessing. Once he decides that he approves of you, things will relax. I promise.”

“I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to hook up with some wealthy lunarian hottie.” Robby pulled his arms back to his body and slouched further into the couch. “Seriously. She’s gotta be leagues better than me.”

“I told you why I’m not interested. What  _ I _ don’t understand is why  _ you _ don’t understand,” Hatchi shot back. 

“Yeah, yeah. You want to trust and care about them first. I heard you,” Robby replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “But can’t all of that stuff come  _ later _ ? I mean, a hot babe is a hot babe, Hatchi.”

“I don’t see what being attractive has to do with it if we don’t get along,” he answered with a shrug. 

“Seriously? Man, do you even  _ like _ women?”

Hatchi tensed. Truthfully, he had never really understood what others meant by being  _ attracted _ to women, or anyone for that matter. The way it was described to him sounded unlike anything he had ever experienced. Even as he grew and interacted with more people, he failed to feel that pull; that spark; that need. The urge to befriend and explore was as strong as ever, but nothing beyond that ever manifested for him; not for women, men, or any other identity out there. It was a little disheartening not to experience something that others had spoken so highly of, but it ultimately didn’t bother him. His fate had been set in stone and he would follow through with it regardless of his feelings. 

Then he met Robby. Then he learned to defy predestination. Then he learned what attraction was supposed to look like. Both the way that Robby chased women like they were addictive and Yang chased Robby in the same fashion showed him a passion that he had never experienced himself. If that is what it meant to like women, men, or  _ anyone _ , then Hatchi would just have to assume that he didn’t. 

“I am not romantically or sexually interested in women, if that’s what you’re asking,” he confessed, voice thin. 

Robby straightened up, something akin to guilt in his eyes. “Ah, sorry, man. I shouldn’t have assumed. It’s all good; no judgement from me! Couldn’t you just ask for a hot lunarian dude, then..?”

“I’m not interested in men, either,” he corrected. “I can’t say I’m particularly interested in anyone. If it wasn’t for this accident, I doubt I would have been pleased with any marriage arrangement at all.”

“Because you trust me, right? Not because you’re into me?” Robby inquired, his real question silently resting on his tongue. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was asking, though, and Hatchi was willing to give him an answer. 

“Exactly. We are friends, are we not? I care for you and I know that you care about me, too. We’ve already given living together a run, too, so I know that I can at least tolerate you long term,” he replied. The last part was technically a joke, but he meant it. Living with Robby had been an adventure unlike any other and, if he were being honest, he was looking forward to seeing what the future held. 

That seemed to satisfy something in Robby, who visibly relaxed upon the confirmation that Hatchi was not, in fact, trying to get into his pants. After his experience being chased around by Yang, Hatchi could only assume that knowing this was a relief. It was nothing personal and he knew it. 

Then why did it sting..? 

Angling himself to better face his husband, Hatchi’s expression eased back into something friendly and familiar. “Now, we don’t have much time before we get to the moon and plenty to go over. Pay attention; it’s important.”

“I’m all ears.”

* * *

Meeting the king went much smoother than expected, which Hatchi was grateful for. After putting Robby through a grueling crash course on proper royal behavior, he had feared that the man would either forget the important details or dismiss them as being silly. Fortunately, he seemed to absorb the most important parts and performed them well. This time, when asked to link arms, he didn’t protest and allowed Hatchi to guide him back through the ship. It seemed that the gravity of the situation was sinking in well and he wasn’t going to mess this up. 

He had suggested that Robby keep his mouth shut as much as possible as they approached, for he had not yet been trained in how to properly speak. Anything outside of  _ Your Majesty _ and simple exchanges was highly unadvised and he had made that very clear before their arrival. 

_ Let me do the talking. Only speak when he addresses you and  _ **_don’t_ ** _ say anything  _ **_stupid_ ** .  _ Overall, just follow my lead.  _

The king was waiting for them directly inside the palace, the queen by his side and prepared to cast judgement. Hatchi could feel the way Robby’s grip on his arm tightened, likely without his knowledge, and took a deep breath. A nervous Robby was an unpredictable Robby-- hell,  _ any _ Robby was an unpredictable Robby. It was part of what drew him to him, part of what made him want him by his side. 

Stopping a respectable distance away from his parents, he unlinked their arms-- Robby’s was stiffer than it had been when unlinking on the ship-- and gave a bow, pleased to see his husband following suit. 

“Mother. Father,” he greeted, straightening up and watching his husband copy his movements once again. 

“Prince Hatchi,” they greeted in turn. Meeting with his parents always left him feeling somewhat hollow, for their formality only emphasized how distant they truly were. Theoretically, he knew that they loved him, but they were absent when he needed them most growing up. Now, he regarded them with respect, but love..? That was debatable. 

Hatchi gestured to his side. “This is Robby Yarge, the Earthling hero I married on Akka Sakka.”

“Robby Yarge,” the king echoed, looking him over critically. Hatchi had to wonder just what he was seeing. Just by looking, it was clear that he was significantly older than the prince and had led a very different lifestyle up to this point. Dressed up in lunar royal garb and standing stiffly by Hatchi’s side, he looked as if he could pass as a respectable man. It was a matter of how perceptive the king could be. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Your Majesties,” Robby replied, offering a shaky smile. 

“You are the one my son ran off with in his fit of rebellion, are you not?” Hatchi’s father inquired. “And you saved the Earth together?”

Robby’s cheeks reddened and Hatchi could tell that he was fighting the urge to rub at his neck. “Yes to both, Your Majesty.” 

“What exactly are your intentions with Prince Hatchi?” the queen asked. 

The king nodded. “Yes. I was informed that your marriage was accidental. Why are you here rather than having it annulled?”

This was where Hatchi knew that he needed to step in before Robby could stammer out some answer that would either increase suspicion or infuriate either of his parents. He took the initiative and reached out to link their fingers together in an intimate gesture. Robby’s palms were sweating.  _ Gross _ . 

“The initial marriage was an accident, yes, but that does not mean that there are no feelings involved,” he lied. “We fell in love during our travels. Separating after the fact was difficult, but we did not know how you might react. That is all.”

The king arched a brow and the queen perked up. 

“Love, you say?” she pressed, sounding intrigued. Despite being relatively distant from their son, they knew of his lack of actively expressed interest in people his age. To hear that he might have actually fallen in  _ love _ would definitely paint Robby in a positive light. Hopefully he would take his advice and follow his lead. 

“Yes,” Hatchi confirmed with a nod. “Isn’t that correct, Robby?” He gave Robby’s hand a gentle squeeze as a prompt for him to speak. 

Robby jumped, but it was slight enough for only Hatchi to notice. “O-Oh, yeah. Yes. We’re in love. Really in love.”

Internally, Hatchi rolled his eyes.  _ So convincing. _ He continued with it, drawing attention back to himself to disguise Robby’s nerves. 

“With your approval, we would like to maintain this marriage. I understand that this is not the union you had planned for me, but I would appreciate your blessing. I feel that I could live my life and rule with him by my side the same way that you do.”

His father and mother looked first at one another, then at the two men’s joined hands, then back at one another. Their silent conversation didn’t need an outward narrative; it was obvious what they were discussing. Did they approve of this or not? Had Robby managed to pull this off, or were they both set back to square one? He didn’t know what would happen next.

“Are you good?” Robby whispered, nudging him slightly with his elbow.

“I’m fine. Why?” he mumbled back. 

“Because you’re trying to break my hand.”

Hatchi’s eyes flickered down to their hands and, sure enough, he had a white-knuckle grip on Robby’s own. Immediately, he loosened his grip and muttered a quiet apology. Maybe Robby wasn’t the only one stressed about the outcome of this otherwise perfect plan…

Looking back at the two men, both the king and queen smiled. 

“Who would we be to break up true love?” his mother decided. Hatchi had a feeling that they were more pleased with the fact that he had  _ apparently _ connected with someone emotionally more than they were with his actual choice of partner, but he didn’t mind. As long as it got them both what they wanted, he would take it. 

“Robby Yarge, it is my honor to welcome you into our family,” the king announced. “I look forward to getting to know my son’s husband better.”

Hatchi nearly sighed audibly in relief, but he managed to hold onto his composure by a thread. Keeping his fingers laced with Robby’s own, he bowed respectfully and indicated for his husband to do the same. “Thank you, Father.”

“Of course,” he replied once the two men had straightened out. “Prince Hatchi, why don’t you show him around? I expect to see you both at dinner.”

“Yes, Father.” With that, he released Robby’s hand and gestured for him to follow him deeper into the palace.

He managed to keep a relatively straight face as he walked through the halls ultimately leading to his private quarters. Now that the threat of failure was no longer hanging over their heads, the sheer thrill of the trick was starting to dawn on him. He didn’t know how they’d managed it, but they had somehow convinced his parents that they were  _ in love _ , securing both of their futures in the process. All it had taken was a few well-placed words, a well-behaved Robby, and a handful of seconds of handholding to lead them to victory. 

It was  _ hilarious _ . 

Hatchi had barely shut the door of his bedroom behind them before he burst out into laughter. It was a fit that had been building up for days now; one that had been seeking relief from the moment he had come forward about his marital status at the event. It started out as a snicker and rapidly built up into something loud and rambunctious. He dropped down onto the excessively large, plush bed and wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes. 

“I… I can’t believe that worked!” he managed through heaving breaths, sides starting to ache from the force of it. “We… We really got them to think… that we’re  _ in love _ .” Just saying it made him want to sob from laughter. From this point on, for better or for worse, they would be recognized as two princes of the royal family, bound together through love rather than mutual necessity. “That was… That was  _ great _ ..!”

“That was completely insane. I thought for sure they were going to see right through us and--Holy  _ shit _ , is this your bed?” Robby exclaimed, ever observant of the most important things. “Is mine gonna be this big, too?”

Rubbing the remaining moisture from his eyes, Hatchi spoke around hiccupping breaths as his laughter faded into giggles. “Robby, this  _ is _ your bed,” he stated, breath becoming level. “We’re married, remember? How many married couples do you know that sleep in different beds?”

Robby hesitated. “Ah…”

Hatchi’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at that response, but he ignored it. It was likely just residual excitement from the stunt they had just pulled. “Don’t worry. It’s plenty big enough. You won’t even realize I’m there,” he promised. 

“Are you sure? Because I roll around a lot in my sleep. I don’t want to wake up with you in my arms or something.”

Internally, Hatchi winced. There was something about that declaration that unsettled him, but he couldn’t quite put a name to it. It wasn’t as if he  _ wanted _ to wake up in Robby’s arms, either, so what was the issue? This was a mutual desire (or lack thereof), so why did it feel so heavy?

“You won’t. If you do, I’ll shrug you off. Don’t make it sound like it will be the end of the world if we touch.” It was a simple enough solution. Unlike Robby, Hatchi didn’t feel threatened by the idea of physical contact at all, but it appeared that the security wasn’t mutual. 

_ You’re tripping if you think I’m going to hold your hand.  _ Yeah, that comment didn’t age well. 

When Robby didn’t immediately respond, Hatchi sighed, the humor draining from his expression. “Or we could always go and tell my parents you want a separate bed, exposing the truth about us and stripping you of your new royal status…”

“Sharing a bed it is!” Robby exclaimed, moving to the opposite side of the bed and sitting down. “You’re not going to mind if I bring some ladies back here, are you?”

Hatchi blinked and angled himself to look across the bed. “You want to bring women back here..?”

“Yeah,” Robby confirmed, looking over his shoulder at his husband. “You  _ did _ say that I could flirt with all of the women I wanted. If I don’t have my own room, if I get lucky, all I’ve got is right here.”

_ Oh _ . He… hadn’t really thought that through. The idea of Robby bringing back strange women to his-- no,  _ their _ \-- bed didn’t exactly settle right with him. He knew that he had given him permission to do just that when he had originally proposed the arrangement, but he hadn’t considered the logistics behind Robby actually  _ getting lucky _ . Was he really prepared to allow other people to have sexual intercourse on his bed..?

Hatchi paused for a second before turning forward once again, back toward his husband. “Just make sure to wash the sheets when you’re done. I don’t want to come back and lay down in anyone’s fluids.” Just the thought made his nose wrinkle. Whether it be sweat, semen, or something in-between, he didn’t want anything to do with the remnants of some hypothetical coitus. 

“Keep it clean. Gotcha.” Just by the sound of his voice, Robby seemed pleased enough with the arrangement. Hatchi had half expected him to complain that he was being asked to clean up after himself, but he supposed that negotiations were different when the belongings weren’t his alone.

Just how far could he push it?

“And no more blow up dolls or pervy magazines, either,” he added. “I don’t want those things in our room. They make me uncomfortable and they aren’t befitting of a prince. My parents would be scandalized if they found them.”

“Huh? Not even one?” Robby protested. “Just one little magazine isn’t going to hurt anything!”

Hatchi sighed. “ _ One. _ And you had better keep it out of sight. Neither of us need to be lectured,” he conceded. If there was one thing he had learned from living with Robby, it was that he couldn’t stand his ground too firmly. There needed to be some give, and if that compromise consisted of a single dirty magazine compared to his impressive collection of pervy items, then he considered that a victory.

“Fine,” Robby replied, though he sounded less happy about that agreement than the permission he’d received to have sex. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. “That reminds me, are your parents always that stiff? I know you said that things were going to loosen up a bit once I made them happy, but the three of you acted like strangers.”

_ Strangers _ . That’s essentially what they were, if he were to be completely honest. His parents had hardly been around during his childhood, leaving the task of raising him primarily to servants, nurses, teachers, and nannies. He would watch his father at work from time to time while studying kingcraft, but he lacked any true connection to him. They all knew the bare minimum about each other after having lived together for nineteen years. Before, he hadn’t thought twice about the distance between them; now, it stung. 

Hatchi dropped his gaze down to his lap. “That’s because we are,” he confessed. “They hardly know anything about me and I couldn’t tell you too much about them. We’re not exactly close.” He shrugged, unsure whether his husband was looking in his direction to see it or not. “They were probably just happy that I found someone that could be there for me better than they could.” 

_ They were probably just happy that their son knew how to love; that he wasn’t broken _ . 

“Things are a little more relaxed most of the time because we don’t see each other often. They’re busy doing their own leadership work and I’ve been busy preparing to one day be crowned king. You would expect there to be more overlap, but unless I am there to observe them, there really isn’t. That’s why I said that things would loosen up; this dinner with them will likely be the last time you see them for a while.” His tone was thin and serious, any remaining light draining from him. Needless to say, his relationship with his parents wasn’t exactly his favorite topic of discussion. 

“Oh.” Robby knew all about poor family relationships and Hatchi knew that. He didn’t expect any sort of apology or reassurance; they both knew it was pointless and didn’t change anything. Sometimes, recognition of the problem was better than empty solutions. 

Not wanting to drag the atmosphere down, he turned back to look at Robby, who had apparently been watching his back the entire time. “Speaking of families, are you going to tell yours what happened personally?” he inquired. “They’re going to find out eventually, considering our royal statuses, but did you want to tell them beforehand?”

Robby hesitated. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really considered it,” he confessed. “I haven’t spoken to any of them in years. I’m not sure if they’d even care.”

Anyone else would have launched into hollow, reassuring questions and commentary--  _ Are you sure I know that they would be proud of you! Wouldn’t they want to know that their son had gotten married? _ \-- but Hatchi knew better. There were certain types of damage that were irreversible and both of them had suffered it in their own families. 

Instead, he nodded in understanding. “I suppose it would be best to let them find out on their own, then.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Their eyes met and there was a certain understanding between them. They had one another’s backs even if their families didn’t. That made Hatchi’s heart swell, even if he didn’t let it show. 

“Come on. We’ve spent enough time in here. I need to show you around the palace before dinnertime,” he proposed, getting up off of the edge of the bed. He adjusted his clothing before turning to his husband and smiling softly. “It’s a big place, so we have a lot of ground to cover.”

As Robby stood, Hatchi’s eyes dropped immediately down to his hand. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he was absolutely itching to take it again. The sweat had probably dried at this point, so it wouldn’t be nearly as gross as before… Where this urge came from, he wasn’t certain, so he elected to ignore it instead. 

When it came to Robby, there were plenty of little things he’d learned to ignore. 

“Are we going to need to link up again?” Robby asked, moving to stand by his husband.

Hatchi shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Just follow my lead.” With that, he left the room, his husband trailing behind him.

* * *

“I have  _ never _ eaten that much food in my  _ life! _ ” 

Robby flopped back onto the bed, sprawling out on the plush mattress and legs dangling over the edge. One hand rested over his stomach as he smiled up at the ceiling. “Is every dinner like this, or was this just a special occasion?”

“A little bit of both,” Hatchi replied, finally taking off his crown, shrugging off his cape, and peeling off his gloves. The outfit would be washed and hung up in his closet for future use, but the accessories were his responsibility alone. The entire getup made him feel strict and stuffy, though; he much preferred his casual clothing. “The amount of food is normally that, if not a little less. My parents will likely not be there very often in the future, though, so you won’t need to be as conscientious of what you’re taking.” 

“Good. I hated having to read the room every time I wanted another plate,” Robby answered. “There were a couple of times that I think they thought I was a glutton.”

Hatchi smiled to himself. He was more than accustomed to how much Robby could eat when given the chance and was used to it, but his parents? Not so much. There had been a handful of occasions during the meal that he’d needed to look away to prevent himself from giggling. He had  _ never _ laughed in front of his parents before and he wasn’t about to find out what kinds of consequences that would reap. 

“Don’t worry. They won’t kick you out for eating too much food,” he assured, taking a seat beside Robby on the bed to work on removing his shoes. The boots weren’t exactly the most comfortable, so now that he was retiring for the night, he was more than happy to see the last of them for a while. 

Robby sat up, taking the hint and removing his own shoes so that he could climb up on the bed properly. “So, what now? What does the  _ prince of the moon _ normally do after dinner?”

“Study, normally,” he confessed with a shrug. Dropping down from the bed, he grabbed the boots, cape, and crown over to the closet where they belonged. “But I think that tonight is going to be an early night for me. If you would like to do something, you have free access to anywhere in the palace. You can entertain yourself.” As he spoke, he started unbuttoning the vest, intent on changing into his favorite pajamas as normal. Yet another exhausting thing about being a royal was how many  _ layers _ he was expected to wear… 

“ _ Study? _ Seriously? No wonder you were bored,” Robby pointed out. “You don’t have anything else to do? No clubs or anything?”

“I’m nineteen, Robby. I can’t exactly drink,” he reminded. “I’m a prince, too. It would be unbecoming of me to show up at a place like that. Besides, clubbing sounds like a lot of unnecessary chaos.”

“You keep using that term. Just what kind of  _ chaos _ is necessary in your mind?” Robby inquired, obviously displeased that he wouldn’t get to experience the “night life” of the moon quite yet. 

Hatchi went silent for a moment, considering how to respond. It was true that he didn’t much care for anything excessively loud or chaotic without reason, but when he looked at his journey with Robby, it was  _ full _ of it and he had  _ loved _ it. Shrugging off his vest, he offered the only answer he had. 

“Your chaos,” he decided. 

“ _ My _ chaos?” Robby echoed, confused. 

“Yes,” Hatchi confirmed, starting to work on his shirt. “Something about it is different when it involves you. It’s more fun than obnoxious.” It was the kind of chaos he paid off the entirety of Robby’s debt to keep going. 

“More fun, huh?” Robby replied, not sounding entirely convinced. “Well, I’m glad that I can provide entertainment.”

Hatchi only hummed in response. Removing his shirt, he walked back over to the bed and dropped to his knees near the head to reach underneath. It likely wasn’t necessary to hide the pajamas that Robby had given him-- they weren’t nearly as valuable as the crystal resting in his pocket-- but he felt protective over them, regardless. He had nearly lost them to a fire; he wasn’t going to lose them to his status. 

When he slipped the big, blue, tacky pajama shirt on, Robby’s eyes widened. “Whoa, you’re still wearing those?” 

Once his head was through the hole and his arms filled the sleeves, he nodded. “Of course I did. I told you, they’re my favorite pajamas.” After a second, he hesitated. “You don’t want them back, do you..?”

For a moment, Robby regarded him with an unreadable expression before something-- fondness, perhaps?-- graced his face and he waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, I’m good. They look better on you, anyways.”

Something about that comment had heat rising to Hatchi’s face. It wasn’t that he was unaccustomed to compliments-- he was a  _ prince _ , after all, and a rather handsome one at that-- but they felt  _ different _ coming from Robby. They were rare and worth treasuring, or so he told himself. He finished changing quickly, sure to remove the crystal from his pocket to tuck back into the drawer of his bedside table before going to set up his candles. If there was ever a night where he needed to wind down, it was this one. 

As he sat on the floor to arrange his candles, he glanced over at where Robby was still seated on the bed. “Are you going to be doing anything?” he asked. “You don’t need me to escort you around if you stay within the palace grounds.”

Robby shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s been a long day,” he commented. “I think I’ll hit the hay early, too.”

Nodding in understanding, Hatchi gestured toward the closet on the opposite side of the room from his own. “There should be some nightclothes in there for you. They’ll be a bit nicer than these,” he joked. 

Once Robby had changed and the candles had been lit, Hatchi went to turn off the light. After a quick comment from his husband on the bed--  _ Have fun with your candles and  _ **_self love_ ** !--he settled down in front of the candles and watched the flames dance. For the longest time, the way the little lights would move was the most entertaining thing in his life; now, however, they were soothing. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the aroma of the candles and sighed. What a day this had been… 

It took a little longer than normal to calm down. Between all of the stress and excitement of the day and Robby’s  _ incessant _ snoring that he couldn’t escape from in his own bedroom, winding down enough to level his mind and soul proved more difficult than usual. On more than one occasion, his husband’s snores fell quiet and a jolt of panic shot through him until the noise started up again. It was strange how such a grating sound could be more soothing than silence. 

Eventually, Hatchi tired enough to warrant going to bed. After carefully putting out each candle, he climbed onto his side of the bed and pulled the covers up. There was a tug that could only come from another person being with him, but he didn’t mind so long as Robby didn’t hog the sheets in his sleep. All it took was a few moments of adjustment for him to relax enough to drift off to sleep. 

It happened around midnight. Hatchi had been sound asleep when a slight pressure on his body prompted him to wake. Sleepy, panicked reflexes immediately interpreted it as a threat-- someone was trying to snag him!-- and it was only by sheer luck that his rational brain caught up with his thoughts before he violently flipped Robby off of the bed. 

_ Robby. Right.  _ He had warned him about the possibility of him rolling around in his sleep and grabbing onto him, but he hadn’t been prepared for it to happen that same night. That was an oversight on his part, he supposed. As he waited for his racing heart to calm, he slowly realized that having Robby’s arm around him wasn’t the worst experience in the world. If anything, it was almost…  _ pleasant _ to be held like this; like something precious. Even though he knew it wasn’t a conscious decision, just that brief moment of feeling valued by Robby made him consider staying in place…

But that would betray Robby’s trust. Besides, despite their marital status, they weren’t  _ actually _ in love. If Robby were to wake up with his arm slung around Hatchi, he would likely become upset, and that was hardly the way to start off their life partnership. Reluctantly, Hatchi pushed Robby’s arm off of him and rolled a little closer to the edge of the bed to try and avoid another incident. 

_ Maybe someday you won’t have to move _ offered a tired voice in the back of his head that he once again ignored. He sincerely doubted that the day would ever come in which Robby would be secure enough in himself to risk holding his husband as they slept. It just didn’t seem like Robby. Pulling the sheets over himself a little tighter, he closed his eyes and willed himself back to sleep. 

He wasn’t going to mention it in the morning.

* * *

The first time Robby brought a woman to their bed, he didn’t know how to react. 

It happened after he had been at the palace for a few weeks and had started to ‘ _ get a hang of this royal stuff’ _ , as he so eloquently put it. They had put on performances when needed, though they never ventured beyond a little show of hand holding. The more they did it, the less nervous Robby was and the less disgusted Hatchi was by the gesture. If anything, that urge to hold from their first day together grew from a spark into a flame and they found themselves holding hands more often than they linked arms. 

“My parents think it’s adorable,” he offered as an explanation when he was asked why they had switched over from the formal escort. “Besides, if we look like we are genuinely in love, then the women you flirt with behind my back might think that they’re winning more than they actually are. The ring only does so much if it’s obvious we’re not together.”

That comment had earned him an offended  _ Hey! _ before any admission that he was right. Hatchi knew the kind of people that chased after royalty and they were only prouder of themselves when they got into the pants of one who was already wed. He’d seen it happen with both his mother and father before and, despite being young, distant, and naive, had been sworn to secrecy each time. It was as if they didn’t know about each other’s infidelity, or at least didn’t want to admit it. 

Robby was different, though. Robby had  _ permission _ to not be faithful because their accidental marriage was sustained for convenience over love. Hatchi knew that he couldn’t give his husband what a  _ hot, rich lunarian babe _ could and he wouldn’t pretend to try. As long as he was careful about it and didn’t cast shame on their family, Hatchi really couldn’t care less what Robby did with those women.

Or so he had thought. 

There had been an event that night that required the both of them to be dressed in their finest clothes and it was finishing up. Guests were leaving, thanking the royal family profusely for their hospitality as they left, and Hatchi could not  _ wait _ to strip out of his royal regalia. Status or no status, he found it all stiff and uncomfortable,  _ especially _ the boots. The moment he could slip away, he hurried back to their shared bedroom, looking forward to finally getting into more comfortable clothes and talking about the night with his husband. He had been just a fraction of a second away from opening the door when he heard it. 

A moan. 

Hatchi hesitated, pulling his arm back. That moan didn’t belong to Robby; his voice was much lower when he was pleasuring himself (not that he had intentionally listened in on that, of course, but accidents did happen). No, there was something clearly  _ feminine _ about the moan that had Hatchi’s heart stopping.  _ Could it be? _

Curiosity getting the better of him, he pressed his ear against the door only to hear the telltale squeaking of a bed being abused by passion. Immediately, Hatchi’s face burned bright red and he quickly backed away.

Robby was having sex with some strange lady in their bed. There was nothing else it could be. Suddenly, it made sense that he had lost him so early on in the event. Now that he was comfortable as a prince, he was prepared to make his move. It was only natural and well within his rights to do so and Hatchi knew it.

So, why did it make him feel so ill?

It must have been catching him in the act that made him so flustered. That was all. Leaving the scene as quickly as he had arrived, he tried to seek out a quiet corner to catch his breath and recollect his thoughts. So much for stripping down and relaxing…

Hatchi let a few hours pass before he dared returning to their shared room. Part of him expected the woman to still be present and was as cautious as could be while opening the door, but all he saw was Robby lounging on the bed, looking far too pleased with himself.

The sheets he was laying on were different and visibly so. While they had been blue when they left for the event, they were now a pale gold color, making it obvious that they had been changed. Though his stomach twisted, he was grateful that Robby at least knew how to follow instructions. 

Robby perked up a bit when he saw Hatchi enter the room, waving at him. “Hey there, lovely,” he greeted, using the teasing nickname he had given him on the very planet they had accidentally wedded on. It had become incorporated into their performance and Hatchi didn’t even notice the pet name half of the time. This time, however, it felt perverse.

Keeping his expression as straight as possible, he sat on the edge of the freshly changed bed and started taking off all of the obnoxious royal garb, ignoring the twist in his gut. Those boots, the pain in the ass that they were, came off first. He flexed his feet to try and stretch out sore muscles and sighed. Without turning to look at Robby, he spoke.

“You know, I hope that if you were to  _ actually _ cheat on someone, you would be smart enough not to use different colored sheets,” he commented, surprising even himself with how dry his tone was. 

His back was turned to his husband, but he could imagine his face well enough as he stammered out his defense. “H-Hey now!  _ Cheating _ !? I’m not cheating! You’re the one who said that I could do this in the first place! Besides, it’s not like we’re  _ actually _ together, Hatchi.”

“I know. That’s why I proposed a hypothetical scenario,” Hatchi replied easily. “Notice my use of  _ if. _ ”

“Yeah, sure,” Robby snorted. “You know, Hatchi, sometimes I think you forget this is a game.”

Hatchi tensed slightly, but didn’t allow Robby to bait him the way he was trying. At this point, he had become an expert at dodging his husband’s attempts to start a fight. “I remember that this is a game,” he promised, hating how the words tasted on his tongue. “I’m just playing it the way it is meant to be played.”

That became increasingly difficult as time went on. He may have never caught them in the act again, but that somehow made coming back to spontaneously changed sheets even worse. Robby was getting better at  _ sneaking around _ and he should be pleased by that, but all it did was make him feel hollow. Every changed bed meant another act of faux infidelity under his husband’s belt. Despite having given him permission to pursue women as he normally would, he quickly realized that, for inexplicable reasons, he  _ hated _ it.

The first time he cried over it was the day he found the bed looking different  _ three times _ . 

When he discovered the first change, he was empty and disappointed. When he discovered the second, he became a little more agitated. The third brought the sting of tears with it, sending Hatchi rushing to the bathroom to calm himself. 

Locking the door behind himself, he sank to the floor and tucked his knees into his chest as he attempted to blink through the tears. What was  _ wrong _ with him? Why was he reacting like this? It didn’t make any sense. Just like Robby had said, this was a game and they were both players.  _ No strings attached. _ Then why did it feel like his heartstrings were being yanked on every time he returned to see the bed a different color?

He didn’t love Robby and Robby didn’t love him. He needed to  _ get a grip. _

Once silent tears stopped falling and he stopped choking on hiccupping breaths, Hatchi took the initiative of taking the hottest shower known to man in an attempt to disguise the embarrassing redness in his eyes and flush in his cheeks. When he returned to the bedroom with damp hair and a towel around his waist, he was greeted once again by Robby’s playful  _ Hey,  _ **_lovely._ ** Rather than comment on the way it made his stomach twist and his heart want to tear itself to shreds, he simply forced smiled back and hit him with an echo. 

“Hey there,  _ lovely. _ Are you ready for bed?”

* * *

“Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea?”

The question came late one night as Hatchi was setting up his candles for his usual nightly ritual. Robby was already in bed, prepared to doze off at any moment and start the usual pattern of snoring and silence that his husband fretted over even after all of this time, so he startled a little when addressed. 

“Sleep what?”

“Sleep apnea,” Hatchi repeated. “I’ve been doing some research on your snoring habits and I think I found something that fits. It’s a sleep disorder in which your breathing constantly starts and stops, which would explain both the snoring and the gaps of silence.”

Blue eyes widened and Hatchi noticed how the blue color of his pajamas really made the color pop. “Hold on. You’re saying that I _ stop breathing _ while I’m asleep?”

“I’m saying that it’s possible and that you should get tested for it,” he corrected. “Despite all that I know, I’m not a doctor. I’m sure that we could get a specialist here to have you examined. It might be for the best.”

“Yeah, I guess. If it’ll help you sleep at night.”

Hatchi arched a brow. “I believe that  _ helping us sleep at night _ is the entire point, so, yes. It would.”

Silence reigned for a moment after that before Robby spoke up again. “You really went to all that effort to research this for me?”

Looking up from his nearly complete candle setup, Hatchi nodded. “Of course I did. I was worried about you and wanted to see if I could help in any way.”

“I wasn’t worried about myself,” Robby countered.

Hatchi shrugged. “I know. Your lack of concern had no influence on mine.”

“Oh.” It was left at that; a single syllable of understanding. In Hatchi’s mind, this effort wasn’t anything abnormal. He thought that he had made it clear that, even if they weren’t in love, he  _ did _ care about Robby and his well-being. Why else would he have offered him this best-of-both-worlds solution to their problems? It wasn’t  _ entirely _ selfish of him to bring him back to the moon; clearly, he had needed the help and, just like before, Hatchi was more than willing to offer it. 

That night, Robby rolled over to Hatchi’s side of the bed much earlier than normal. The young prince hadn’t even managed to fully fall asleep yet before his husband’s arm was slung across his body. The smart thing to do would have been to shrug it off; it was what had been asked of him, after all, and he had complied from their very first night. 

This time felt different. This time, Hatchi was raw and sore internally for reasons he couldn’t explain and the touch was soothing. No matter how many times those sheets changed, Robby was always with  _ him _ at the end of the night. They were important to each other;  _ he _ was important to  _ Robby _ and he knew it. He refused to believe anything else. This was just a reminder. In the ultimate act of selfishness, Hatchi simply closed his eyes and fell asleep, enjoying being held for whatever brief period of time. 

When he woke up, Robby was gone. Without his knowledge, his heart began to crack.

* * *

About six months had passed from the time Robby moved in before Ikku came to visit them again and  _ oh _ was Hatchi glad to see him. Despite having blossomed out socially since their journey, there were still really only two people he could consider friends; one that lived with him full time and one he hadn’t seen in what felt like an eternity. Needless to say, when he was told that the robot had come to see them, he was elated.  _ Especially _ because there was no need to dress up for this particular visitor. 

There was no need to hold hands as they approached him, either, but it had become a habit at that point (or so he told himself).

Hatchi took them all to a private lounge area where they could talk without being disturbed. Once the door was shut behind them, he beamed brightly. “Ikku! It’s been too long! How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” the robot replied. “Definitely kept busy. I just figured that you two idiots had been up here long enough that I needed to come up and make sure you hadn’t slit each other's throats or something.”

Hatchi laughed, but Robby rolled his eyes and dropped down onto one of the couches. “You seriously have no faith in me, do you?”

“Of course I have faith in you! Faith that you’ll mess things up,” Ikku retorted. “But it looks like you’re doing alright.” He gestured between the two of them. “By the way, what was up with the whole hand-holding thing? Are you two actually together now..?”

Robby snorted. “As if. It’s just part of the act. The king and queen like it when we act all mushy, so it helps me stay on their good side.”

_ As if. _ Internally, Hatchi winced. The way he spoke made it sound as if actually  _ being _ with him were the most ridiculous concept he had ever heard of. It made him sound disgusting, undesirable… Warmth rose to his cheeks, but he didn’t say anything about it. If he tensed up a little bit, Robby sure didn’t notice.

That didn’t mean that Ikku hadn’t. The robot looked between the two of them with something akin to speculation. “Yeah, alright. If you say so,” he relented eventually, though it was easy to tell by his tone that he wasn’t completely convinced. “And what’s with those marks on your face?”

“Ah, it’s from a fancy machine I have to wear at night,” Robby answered. “Hatchi did some digging and found out that I have something called sleep apena--”

“Sleep  _ apnea _ ,” Hatchi corrected.

“Yeah, that,” Robby confirmed. “Anyways, it means I have to wear a mask to make sure I don’t stop breathing in the middle of the night. It  _ sucks _ and it leaves marks like these, but they’ll be gone in a few hours.”

Ikku looked over at Hatchi again. “I see. Well, it’s good that you got that figured out. I know you were worried about it.”

“I was,” Hatchi agreed. “I’m just glad it was something treatable. It would suck much more if he died in my bed.”

From that point forward, the conversation was…  _ normal _ , which was refreshing. Robby and Ikku chatted back and forth about typical things, Hatchi chiming in where he could but mostly just enjoying their banter. Just being in a room with his two friends again was enough to make him happy.

Well. Almost. Truth be told, Hatchi almost couldn’t remember the last time he was genuinely and purely happy. There was always an underlying  _ something _ that he couldn’t put a name to that seemed to weigh down every moment. Ifhe had to guess, his journey with Robby had been the last time true happiness had graced him, which didn’t make much sense. Part of having Robby around was so that they would both be happier, right? Why wasn’t it  _ working _ ?

When Robby started telling the tales of his various conquests, that  _ something _ took the form of a flipping stomach and averting eyes. They didn’t really  _ talk _ about the women that he took to their bed; he supposed that his expressed lack of interest in women made Robby bite his tongue. Since even Ikku seemed to understand attraction in a way that Hatchi failed to, it seemed that he was the best one to talk about it with. Hatchi just… pretended not to listen. 

Ikku kept looking at him, which made things worse. He had stopped paying attention to what Robby was saying, but he was sure it was something perverted or otherwise lewd about the women he had bedded. Was his embarrassment and discomfort surrounding the topic shining through? Hatchi straightened up and forced himself to look a little more like he was paying attention to try and shake Ikku’s eyes. 

It didn’t work. 

Eventually, Robby left to go to the bathroom, leaving Hatchi alone in the room with Ikku. Now that the conversation was over (or at least put on pause), he could relax slightly. Releasing a soft sigh, he opened his mouth to speak and was quickly beaten to the punch. 

“You love him, don’t you, Hatchi?”

Whatever Hatchi had been planning on saying turned into a sputtering choke. He cleared his throat and gawked at Ikku’s suggestion. “I-- What? No, I don’t! It’s just a performance. That’s all.”

“A performance, huh? You seem to be taking it pretty seriously,” Ikku pointed out. “You researched a health condition without his prompting so he could sleep better at night, you came in here holding hands, and you looked like you were going to hurl while he was talking about those women.”

“Of course I did!” Hatchi argued, heart beginning to race. He did  _ not _ love Robby. He  _ couldn’t. _ “That research was for me, too! It helps me sleep better at night if I know he’s not  _ dying _ and we already told you that holding hands is just part of the show. And I don’t like listening to him talk about women, so of course I wasn’t thrilled about it.”

“Why don’t you like him talking about women?” Ikku pressed. “You’re the one who said that he could be as big of a pervert as he wanted. Now that he’s actually getting some action, it sounds like your comfort level has changed. If I’m being honest, it sounds to me like you’re  _ jealous _ .”

**_Jealous_ ** . It couldn’t be. The entire reason he was able to give Robby permission to sleep with these women was because he knew he  _ wouldn’t  _ get jealous. To suggest that he  _ was _ was ridiculous. 

“I’m not… I’m not jealous! Don’t be silly!” he insisted around a nervous laugh. “We’re not even really together, Ikku. What would I have to be jealous of?”

“Envious, then,” Ikku corrected. “You don’t like that other people are getting him in a way that you’re not. You’re upset because he  _ doesn’t _ love you and you wish he  _ did _ because  _ you _ love  _ him _ . Am I right?”

Hatchi shook his head. “You’re not. I’m not…”

_ You’re upset because he  _ **_doesn’t_ ** _ love you. _ That statement hit him like a punch to the gut. He knew for a fact that Robby didn’t love him; he’d said it plenty of times and the sheer number of women he’d had in his bed. In  _ their _ bed. The one that they shared. The one that he lounged in and smiled at him and called him  _ lovely _ as a joke. 

The one he brought women to. The one he never wanted to touch him in. The one he left on the one night Hatchi decided to ignore his requests. The one whose changing sheets ultimately sent him to tears that he hadn’t understood at the time. 

Everything about Robby and these women had hurt him  _ so much _ and he hadn’t understood why until that moment. It was no wonder he didn’t understand the emotions he had been experiencing; he had never harbored them before. This pain, this heartbreak, it was all new to him and so terribly overwhelming. 

Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine how a  _ proper _ life with Robby would feel. There wouldn’t have to be any excuses for holding hands, no shrugging him off in the middle of the night, no more changing sheets… Even the thought of  _ kissing _ , which had repelled him in the past, seemed to take on a new light if he put  _ Robby  _ in the place of a stranger. 

_ Oh.  _ **_Oh. Oh_ ** **_no._ **

Guilt joined misery in his gut and his cheeks burned something awful as he spoke, keeping his eyes shut. “...You’re right. I… I do,” he confessed quietly before opening his eyes, desperation in his gaze. “What do I  _ do _ about it? I’ve never loved anyone before.”

“Sure you have,” Ikku responded. “There’s lots of ways to love someone, kid. Romantic love is just a subcategory. This may be your first time with that type, but I’ve  _ seen _ you love in a bunch of different ways while we were traveling around. In fact, you’ve probably got more love in you than anyone else I’ve met.”

As Ikku spoke, emotion swirled within him, creating a storm he had never known before. Being told not only that he was capable of loving but that he had the most love that Ikku had ever seen touched him deep within. The cracks in his heart broke further, but the organ remained intact. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. “Thank you, Ikku.”

“Don’t mention it,” the robot replied. “Normally, I would nag you not to cry and insult you for being such a girl, but I can tell you’ve been through a lot, so I’ll let it slide this time.”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Hatchi managed a soft laugh. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

It was at that moment that Robby decided to reenter the room. Any advice he might have gotten from Ikku surrounding what to  _ do _ with this love was stolen from him in a handful of seconds as his husband plopped right back down on the couch, but he didn’t mind. If what he’d said was true-- if he’d been loving people the whole time-- then this should come naturally to him. Figuring out how to approach this would only be a matter of time.

...Right?

* * *

Illness wasn’t very common on the moon. There weren’t many microbial life forms outside of what sentient beings brought with them and there were no seasons to fluctuate the environment around them. Most ailments that doctors treated were either chronic conditions, injuries, genetic diseases, or mental health issues. Communicable diseases were all but eradicated, but proper vaccinations were still required, making the moon one of the healthiest places in the solar system. 

Hatchi had never gotten sick; no fevers, no flus, not even the common earth cold. The closest thing to a disease he had ever suffered occurred whenever his airways were irritated, making him sneeze. Outside of that, Hatchi was and always had been perfectly healthy. 

One could only imagine the shock when he took a step out of bed one morning and immediately collapsed. He barely felt the impact as he hit the ground, but Robby’s cry of his name echoed within his fuzzy head. Moments later, he felt a too-hot touch on his skin and tried to squirm away from the contact only to discover that his muscles were far too sore to move. He was completely helpless, unable to do anything but groan as he was hoisted back up onto the bed. Distantly, he heard Robby calling for a doctor, but all that he could fully process was how  _ hot  _ and  _ achy  _ he was.

They called it the Earth Flu. Hatchi had heard of it, of course; it was one of Earth’s most contagious diseases and it possessed a high mortality rate. Had he been in his right mind, he would have been able to list off a number of symptoms and possible treatments, but he couldn’t think past the throbbing dizziness in his head. Instead, he was left watching the doctor with dead eyes, only half understanding anything he was telling him. 

When a cold, damp towel was placed on his burning forehead, he hissed at the borderline overwhelming sensation. The doctor instructed him to get some rest, but when one was feeling so  _ miserable _ , it was much easier said than done. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and attempted to drift off..

“ _ Hey, doc?”  _ The door opened and shut, the voice indicating that Robby had reentered the room. “ _ How’s he doing?” _

_ “He has a fever of about 104 and he’s weak. I’m not sure if he understood a word I said,”  _ the doctor explained. Hatchi would have loved to interject and say that he had understood everything, but… Well, all he  _ really _ remembered was the instruction to rest. “ _ Are you sure you didn’t notice anything wrong before this morning?” _

_ “Holy shit…” _ Robby muttered. “ _ No. He was perfectly fine yesterday, I promise! He just woke up this morning and collapsed.” _

The doctor hummed. “ _ It’s fast-acting, then. Potentially a mutant strain,”  _ he decided. “ _ We’re doing all we can for him, but it  _ **_is_ ** _ a virus. The best we can do is help him feel more comfortable as it runs his course and hope that he survives.” _

_ “ _ **_Hope_ ** _!?”  _ Robby exclaimed. _ “What do you mean,  _ **_hope!?_ ** _ It’s just a flu, right? He’s not gonna die!” _

_ “People die from flus much less severe than this one all of the time on Earth,”  _ the doctor reminded. “ _ And Prince Hatchi has never gotten a communicable illness like this before, so there’s no telling how his body will react.”  _ A pause. Hatchi could only imagine what Robby’s face looked like. “ _ Don’t worry, Your Highness. We are doing everything we possibly can. In the meantime, we suggest you stay in a separate room from him. He is likely still very contagious.” _

If he had been in possession of more than a single functioning brain cell at that moment, he might have been panicked. Hearing the doctor talk about the possibility of this awful disease  _ killing  _ him should have had him worried sick. In that moment, however, what little rational thought he had left latched onto Robby leaving. It took a lot of strength, but he forced his eyes open and made a quiet sound of distress.

Robby was at his side immediately. There was a forced smile on his face that was tainted with worry. “Hey there,  _ lovely _ ,” he greeted. It was obvious that he was trying to sound cheery, but the slight tremble in his voice made his efforts completely in vain. “It’s me, Robby. Your husband. How are you feeling?”

“Robby…” Hatchi muttered, voice tight and strained as he forced the words out. Even speaking was exhausting… As he looked at his husband’s face, a certain sadness started creeping in, starting deep in his chest and moving to the tips of his fingers.  _ Your husband.  _ **_Yours._ ** But Robby  _ wasn’t _ his, was he? It had been weeks since Ikku had come to see them and he still hadn’t figured out how to navigate this new love, so Robby was just as distant as ever. 

“But you’re not really mine, are you?” he asked, the words pouring out before a clouded judgement could stop them. 

The smile vanished from Robby’s face. “Huh? What are you talking about, Hatchi?”

_ You know exactly what I’m talking about _ , he thought but didn’t dare to speak aloud. Instead, a small, weak smile tugged on his lips. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be mine. I love you, anyways.”

Those beautiful blue eyes widened. “You… Yeah, I know you do,” he corrected himself quickly, remembering that the doctor was still in the room. “And I love you, too. You know that, yeah?”

A soft, short giggle wracked his body, only serving to cause him more ache. “I mean it. I love you,” he repeated. “Love you, love you, love you…”

Robby gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I…” His voice became a little more serious as he continued. “I know you do.”

Stepping forward, the doctor put a hand on Robby’s shoulder. “Your Highness, we really should let him rest. The servants will bring your belongings to the room you will be staying in while he recovers.”

A serious expression overtook Robby’s face for a moment as he looked over Hatchi’s pathetic state. “And you promise he’s going to recover?”

“We’ll do our very best,” the doctor reassured. With that, Robby was guided out of the room, leaving Hatchi completely alone. 

The illness lasted a week and the majority of that week was completely lost to Hatchi’s memory. Once all was said and done, the most he could recall was all of the needles, aches, pains, and doctors swarming him whenever his condition dropped. After a long-fought battle, however, the fever started to wane and his head started to clear until he was completely back to normal. 

Robby was there the moment Hatchi was cleared of disease. The young prince was up and about, dressing himself in regular clothing after having spent a week in the same pajamas when his husband came in. 

“ _ Hatchi!” _ he cried, darting forward and pulling him into a tight embrace that rendered Hatchi immobile once again. “You’re alive! And you’re up on your feet!”

Trapped in Robb’s arms, Hatchi’s first instinct was to start squirming, but a few seconds of consideration told him to relax. This was the most pleasant physical contact he’d had in a week; he might as well enjoy it. With a sigh, he moved his arms around Robby as well, returning the embrace. 

“Of course I’m alive. It would take more than that to get rid of me and you know it,” he said, only half teasing. How many times had Robby tried and failed to get rid of him at the beginning of their journey, only for the young prince to adamantly remain right by his side?

_ There’s lots of ways to love someone.  _ Perhaps being a nuisance he couldn’t get rid of was a way of showing that. 

Robby chuckled quietly before ultimately pulling away. There was a smile on his face, but there was something else behind it. Fondness? Tension? Relief? All of the above? Hatchi couldn’t quite tell, but it wasn’t important at that moment. “It sure would, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Hatchi confirmed, smoothing out the clothes that had been wrinkled by Robby’s spontaneous hug. Being held with such excitement had his heart racing and made him feel better than he had in a week. Leave it to Robby to unknowingly make things so much better (and so much worse).

“Now, would you mind catching me up on the past week? I have a feeling I missed a lot.”

* * *

After that, things were a little different and Hatchi couldn’t begin to explain why. It started off as little things that someone not as observant as himself wouldn’t notice; Robby taking the initiative to hold his hand, for instance, or the lack of new sheets on the bed when he retreated to the room at night. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen any new sheets on the bed since he had changed them after his illness… 

It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been ample opportunity. As Hatchi transitioned back to his studies, they were not at one another’s side all of the time. A part of him wondered if he had started taking women to the guest room he had occupied, but there was no evidence of anyone having been in there since the week was up. 

It was almost as if Robby was being  _ faithful,  _ which was unsettling. He didn't  _ have _ to be faithful; Hatchi had given him permission to be as flirtatious as he wanted. It wasn't as if  _ he _ were a  _ rich, hot lunarian babe  _ that Robby would want to pursue. Why would he stop seeking them out all of a sudden? What had happened? It was driving Hatchi mad. 

More than anything, it was making him fall deeper in love, which was something he couldn't have. Every sweet gesture and sacrificed moment touched something deep within him and he could hardly handle it. 

Robby was going to break his heart and there was only one thing he could do to prevent it. This had to stop. 

Admitting that stung like nothing else, but he knew it was true. Letting this continue was only causing him more pain, especially not now that Robby was behaving  _ exactly the way he wanted.  _ It was like a fantasy come true and he couldn’t stomach it because he knew it  _ wasn’t _ true. He didn’t know what was going through his husband’s mind at all; he was being as unpredictable as always. If there was one thing he knew beyond a doubt, however, it was that Robby did not love him. Even if he hadn’t reminded him of it verbally recently, he knew it was true. And that was exactly why this game needed to come to a close. 

Hatchi was only hurting himself by dragging this out, pretending that he could do anything with his love. Ikku would have probably told him to swallow it down and ignore it or try to rid himself of the feelings entirely. Given their subject, it only made sense to forget. Now, it was too late to forget if he tried. All he had left was the second best option and it pained him. 

“I want a divorce.”

They had been lounging in their shared room, Robby playing some digital game that Hatchi didn’t know the name of. In the end, it didn't matter. As he stood before his soon-to-be former husband, all that mattered was being able to do this calmly and maturely. 

Robby looked up at him, utter shock etched across his face. “Wait a minute. Run that by me again,” he said, putting the game down. “Because I could’ve sworn I just heard you ask for a divorce.”

Hatchi’s heart started hammering, the cracks threatening to expand and shatter the whole thing entirely. Robby’s expression was heartbreaking; almost as much as what he needed to do to spare them both. All he wanted to do was take it back and pretend that the suggestion had never been made even if he destroyed his own heart in the process. 

_ No _ . He had sacrificed a lot of things for Robby-- his time, his money, his hand-- but he wouldn’t put his own heart through the same hardships. The poor thing had been abused enough without him even knowing that it was under attack. No matter what, it was time to put an end to this. He had no other choice.

He drew in a deep breath. “That’s because I did. I think it would be better for both of us if this arrangement ended,” he explained. “I’m not going to cut you off. I will still be covering for you financially since I promised that you would not have to struggle again, but I don’t think that continuing like this would be a good idea.”

“What?  _ Why? _ ” Robby shot to his feet, desperation lacing his tone. “Did I do something wrong? I thought you liked it when I held your hand and stuff. If it’s too much, I’ll back off, no sweat!”

_ Too much _ ? No, it was the exact opposite. Since his week long illness, Robby had been giving him everything he had fantasized about (with a few obvious exceptions) and it still  _ wasn’t enough. _ His cravings had only grown beyond what he could dare ask of his husband without violating the terms of their arrangement. In this scenario, he supposed being blunt and honest was the best option.

If only the words didn’t taste so sour on his tongue. 

“No, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s my own fault,” he confessed, trying to hold Robby’s gaze as best he could.  _ Here goes nothing.  _

_ You’re upset because he  _ **_doesn’t_ ** _ love you and you wish he  _ **_did_ ** _ because  _ **_you_ ** _ love  _ **_him_ ** _. _

“I’m the one who messed up and needs to back off,” he admitted. “I… I fell in love with you, Robby. I tried my hardest to handle it on my own, but I just  _ can’t _ .” Tears started welling up in his eyes, emotions swirling in an uncontrollable storm that threatened to consume him whole. So long as he kept it below the skin, everything would be alright, but it was doubtful that such a feat could occur. 

_ I fell in love with you. _ Those few short words were enough to set off a flood of words. Keeping the storm contained was a vain effort and his filter had been all but destroyed in the process. 

“Everything you have been doing for me recently has just been  _ too good _ . I can’t stomach it anymore,” he explained, certain that he must sound mad trying to paint all of these wonderful developments as grounds for a divorce. 

Robby blinked. “Hey, Hatchi, let’s not rush into things, alright..?”

“ _ No!” _ Hatchi snapped, fists balling up by his sides. “You don’t have  _ any _ idea what it’s felt like to be married to you for seven months! You don’t know what it’s like to know that I could never satisfy you like those women do but still hurt every time you come back to the sheets looking different! And now you’ve stopped--  _ why? _ Is it out of pity? I don’t  _ want _ your pity; I want you to be  _ happy! _ ”

Hatchi forced a laugh through stinging tears “And that makes it worse, because what makes you happy makes me miserable. Letting you have free reign of romance was the absolute  _ worst _ decision I could have made for myself, but I would never dream of taking it away because I know you  _ don’t _ want me and never will!”

“But  _ I _ want  _ you _ . I want you to want me. I want you to hold my hand because you like it. I want you to kiss me like you love me. I want you to call me  _ lovely _ and mean it! I want… I want…” Hatchi trailed off, tears starting to fall down his face, staining his cheeks with the moisture. So much for being calm and mature…

He reached into his pocket and held the treasured crystal out to his husband. It was that same crystal that he had held close to his heart and that had given him the idea of citing his technical marriage with Robby in the first place. It was the most valuable and beloved thing he owned; it was a curse and he needed to rid itself of its optimistic light before it caused any more damage. 

“...I want you to have this back,” he stated, voice dry and hollow. “Please, just take it and agree.”

For a moment, Robby simply stared at the offered crystal in complete silence. Hatchi couldn’t blame him; he had just poured his heart out to him, completely unbidden. He half expected him to start yelling; to argue back. The other half expected him to take the crystal and run like he had asked, leaving Hatchi in the dust with what shattered pieces remained of his heart. As he reached out toward his hand, Hatchi closed his eyes and prepared to feel the crystal taken from his palm.  _ This is it. _

Instead, light pressure on his fingers guided them to curl back up and hold the crystal once again. The hand which closed his fist remained placed on top of his own, insistently yet gently keeping the crystal where it belonged. Shocked, Hatchi opened his eyes to see a soft, sad smile on Robby’s face. 

“Like I said, let’s not rush things,” he repeated, dropping his hand from Hatchi’s own with a sigh. “Look, Hatchi. All those things you told me… I kind of already knew.”

This time, it was Hatchi’s turn to gawk. “You… knew?”

Robby nodded. “Yeah, I did. While you were sick, you kind of told me that you love me and that you meant it. At first, I thought you were delirious from the fever or something, but I had a lot of time to myself that week to think things over. It made more sense if you were actually into me instead of just saying it.”

“Oh.” At first, Hatchi paled before all of the blood came rushing back in embarrassment. He rubbed at tearstained cheeks in a vain attempt to make himself look like less of a mess. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I figured that you remembered. My bad, I guess,” he explained. Rubbing the back of his neck, he bit his cheek before speaking up again. 

“You know, during that week, that wasn’t all I thought about,” he continued. “Once I figured out that you were serious, it gave me some things to consider. You’re not the type of person I usually go for, but we’ve been together for a while and then I almost lost you and I… Well, I decided I’d give it a shot.”

_ Give it a shot _ . Hatchi could hardly believe what he was hearing. During the week he’d lost to illness, Robby had rethought their entire relationship and had expected him to just  _ know _ ? That… was probably the most believably  _ Robby _ thing that could have spawned from this conversation. 

“Is that why you’ve been holding my hand more often recently?” he asked, not daring to smile quite yet. “And why you’ve stopped taking women to bed. You… really want to try this?”

Robby nodded. “Yeah. I kinda thought it was obvious, but since you didn’t remember confessing at all, I guess it wasn’t. Again, my bad.”

_ My bad.  _ Hatchi had been stressed to the point that he proposed an official divorce and all Robby could say regarding the miscommunication was  _ my bad _ . If it had been anyone else, he was sure that they would have gotten angry, but all that Hatchi felt in that moment was a wave of relief. The corners of his lips tugged upward in a smile as a quiet chuckle passed his lips. 

“You really are the least predictable man alive, Robby Yarge,” he commented, the words almost sounding like praise with how fondly he spoke.

Seeing the shift in Hatchi’s demeanor, Robby perked up slightly. “So, does this mean no divorce?”

Rather than respond with words, Hatchi decided to follow the trend of unpredictability. Stepping forward, he grabbed Robby by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward. Their lips met in what was likely the worst kiss of Robby’s life and the first of Hatchi’s own. It was awkward and stiff, laced with the prince’s inexperience, but the disgust he had expected never arose. 

Kissing Robby really  _ was _ different than he had expected kissing in general to be like. When he felt hands rest on his waist and pull him closer, he slipped his arms around Robby’s neck instead, relishing how he was being held like something precious.

That night, as they both lay in the aftermath of a shared passion, Robby put his arm around him intentionally. There was no need to shrug it off, no boundaries that needed to be constantly put up in their sleep. It was just the two of them, skin against skin and leeching off of one another’s warmth as the night claimed them both. In the morning, they would need to change the sheets together, but Hatchi didn’t mind resting like this as long as it was the two of them. As the muffled sound of robby’s snoring acted as a lullaby to bring him to sleep, Hatchi smiled and snuggled closer, giving in to the craving that had built up over the past seven months. 

He held Robby’s hand in his sleep and, upon receiving an unconscious squeeze in return, giggled quietly. 

In all of this time, Hatchi had never felt so  _ lovely.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I feel like this fandom really deserves more love.


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